Dazed and Confused
by Yascarocks
Summary: Fang is finally with his family, but can he really trust them? Sequal to Fading to Black. Set after SOF, and before STWAOES.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey peoples! Um, I probably won't be able to update this story for a while. Or maybe I will, I don't know. Schools starting in less than two weeks, and then I have soccer... So I don't know if I'll be updating anytime soon. If you didn't already know; this is the sequal to Fading to Black. So, here's the first chapter!

It was dawn, and I was flying with my new flock. My family. Yep. Me. Fang. I have a family. I couldn't believe it, so I said it out loud.

"I have a family." Demon looked at me weirdly. Demon was my brother, who was exactly like me. It was almost scary, how similar we were. He had the same hair, same eyes, same skin, heck, he even dressed like me. There's something about him though, and I still don't trust him completely.

Then there was Pity. She was my sister. I've never heard her speak. Her eyes were brown and expressionless, and she had long black hair. I had no clue what her personality was like, because she didn't show expression or talk. Ok, I didn't show expression much either, but I _did_ talk from time to time. I had a personality. Pity was just like a seven year old robot. Nevertheless, she _is_ my sister, and I love her just like I loved Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel.

Ok, I should be happy, right? I was finally with my family. My blood-related siblings. The weird thing is, I'm miserable. I know, how could I be miserable? I had everything I'd ever wanted. I had a family, I didn't have to follow any rules, and... Wait. I wasn't with the flock. Ok, so I _almost_ had everything I'd ever wanted. I wasn't with my flock.

But I had to come with Demon and Pity, they were my family, after all. Still, I don't like flying with them. Nobody talked, nobody made eye contact, nobody did anything. We just flew.

A few minutes later we passed over a cave. We all looked at wach other, then started to land. We landed silently, as we always did. It was morning time, but we were tired from flying all night. So we decided to sleep.

Demon and Pity lied down in a corner of the cave. Ok, I know this is stupid, but I stacked fists with myself. It was a habit, the flock always did it before bed.

I sighed and lied down on the cold, hard floor. It was weird to sleep; I wasn't used to so much light. But slowly, _slowly,_ I drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Ok, sorry its so short. I'll try to make longer chapters. But in Maximum Ride the chapters are short, just wanted to point that out. Ok, I'm sorry I won't be able to update very soon. I'm so glad that Fading to Black got 100 something reviews! Thanks people! Ok, so review! Thanks!


	2. The second chapter

A/N: Hi peoples! Sorry I haven't updated in forever. I probably won't be able to update soon. Sorry! School started, and I'm really busy. Anyway, here's the next chapter!

I didn't get up for breakfast that morning. I was still sad that Fang had left us. How could he do that? How could he do that to us? We needed him. _I _needed him. Ugh. I was crying now. I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me. I looked up, hoping to see Fang, but it was Iggy.

"We all miss him, Max." I looked at Iggy solemnly. His best friend had just left him, and he was comforting _me._ _I'm_ the leader. I should be comforting _him._

"Yeah," I said, finally getting up. I looked around, seeing what everyone was doing. Angel was whispering quietly to Celeste, the Gasman was tightly hugging a pillow, Dr. Martinez and Ella were washing dishes, but where was Nudge?

I walked down the hallway, looking for her. I heard a small whimper come from inside Ella's room. I opened the door to find Nudge on the floor, curled up into a ball, crying softly.

"Nudge?" I barely whispered. She looked so, so_ not_ Nudge. She looked up ate me with a tear streaked face. Her eyes were dark, almost black. Nudge always looked happy, cheerful. Now Nudge looked...depressed.

"Nudge?" I said again, crouching down to her level. "It's ok." I stroked her hair.

"NO IT"S NOT OK!" She suddenly screamed at me. I looked at her in shock; she had never yelled at me.

"Nudge, calm down."

"Fang left, Max! We have no idea where he is, or where he's going!" Nudge was sobbing heavily, her tears soaking my shirt. Iggy appeared in the doorway.

"Nudge," Iggy said soothingly. "Fang left because he had to. They were his family."

"Yeah, but h-he still left us." I knew how Nudge felt. I was sad too. I couldn't believe that he did that. But they_ were_ his family.

"Maybe later we can look for him, you know, just to talk and stuff." Iggy and Nudge looked at me.

"Yeah?" Iggy asked softly.

"Yeah." I replied, a smile coming over my face.

"Oh, thank you Max!" Nudge practically jumped on me. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Nudge was overwhelmed with joy. She really loved Fang. I almost cried. I hadn't seen her this happy in what, years?

"Ok," I said after Nudge had gotten off of me. "Let's go get some lunch."

A/N: Ok, I know it's short, but I have discovered that I cant write long chapters. I'm trying, I really am. Sorry this hasn't been updated in a while! Please review! Please? I love reviews.


	3. Chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I forgot to put a disclaimer in my last chapters, so here's one. I don't own anything that anyone else owns. I think. Yeah.

Chapter 3

I was on the couch in the Martinez's empty living room. I had been lying there for about an hour and a half. I heard a noise come from the kitchen. I lifted my head to find Ella standing in front of me.

"Max, I'm so sorry about Fang. I don't know if he was really important to you, but either way, I'm really sorry." It was then that I realized how important to the flock Fang really was.

When I couldn't handle something, Fang took over.

When Iggy didn't know where to go, Fang helped him.

Nudge loved Fang. _A lot._ He was her best friend. She may not of been his best friend, but he was definitely hers.

He was a big brother to the Gasman and Angel, and they really loved him.

Fang was a friend, a guide, a big brother, second in command, and if he hadn't been there for me, I'd probably be dead right now.

"Max? You ok?" Ella waved a hand in front of my face.

"Oh. Yeah, I-I'm fine." I said in a broken voice.

"Ok," Ella gave me an encouraging smile, then left.

So I just sat there, enjoying the silence. That is, I _was_ enjoying the silence until I heard a loud _Boom_ come from the backyard.

-----------------------(anyone know why the line isn't working?)-----------------------------

(Author's POV)

"Throw another one." Iggy said to the Gasman, who was throwing bombs into the forest behind the Martinez's house.

"We're all out," Gazzy said. A mischievous smile spread over Iggy's face as he pulled out a very large package.

"Big Boy II," He said. The Gasman smiled as well.

"Let's do it."

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(Max's POV)

"Iggy, no!" I screamed, as Iggy threw a huge bomb into the forest. The trees caught fire, and Gazzy stared at it with a satisfied grin.

"We did it."

"Cool."

"Did what?" I screamed, furious.

"We caught the forest on fire." Gazzy stated simply.

"Why?"

"Because we felt like it!" Iggy snapped.

"But you guys cant just-"

"Who cares?" Iggy yelled. "Who cares about anything? Certainly not you, who let Fang leave us forever!" Gazzy nodded fiercely in agreement.

"Guys, he had to leave. He-"

"He didn't have to do anything, Max." Iggy's voice was quiet, but it was as cold as ice.

"Um, you guys?" The Gasman looked at us expectantly.

"What?" Iggy and I both turned.

"Run!" I started running, looking back as I did so. The fire was spreading this way very rapidly. Iggy and the Gasman slapped quick high fives, than continued running.

When we were out of the way, I asked Iggy if I could talk to him.

"Iggy, what happened to: 'He had to leave, Nudge, they were his family?'"

"I thought about it. Fang chose them, some people that he just met, over us, the people he's known his whole life. Think about it, Max." Then he walked away.

Gazzy walked calmly into the house and said:

"Guys, there's a fire headed this way, and if you want to live, get out." Everyone ran outside.

"What?" Nudge screamed. "Is the house gonna burn down? There's a fire headed this way, and we're just standing here? How can we just stand here? I mean-" Iggy clamped a hand over Nudge's mouth. I gathered all the flock together. I hated to do this, but...

"Guy's we'd better go."

"Just leave the Martinez's here?" Angel looked up at me. I sighed.

"Yeah,"

"Works for me," Iggy said, unfurling his wings. Everyone else did the same.

"Ok guys, up and away." We took off, leaving Ella and Dr. Martinez with sad, confused looks on their faces.

**A/N: Ok, that's my third chapter! It was long, in my opinion. Well, it was long for me. I'm so happy I got this chapter up! And guys, I really love reviews. Please review this! If you do, maybe I'll start typing the next chapter! Oh, and does anyone have a title? Sorry, I cant think of title's for some strange reason.**


	4. Chapter Number 4!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that anybody else owns.

Chapter 4

(Fang's POV)

I awoke to pitch black darkness. I tried to get up, but I couldn't; my hands and feet were tied up. I looked around, searching for anything. Then I spotted a fire with Pity and Demon sitting around it. I yelled their names. Pity looked at Demon, who nodded. She walked over to me.

"Good morning, Fang." She said calmly.

"Help!" I yelled, but she just stared. Demon came up behind her.

"Not so loud, Fang." He said soothingly. Ok, now I was confused.

"What the hell," I said, trying to get my hands free. I saw Pity talking into a transmitter.

"What are you doing?" I yelled. Then something hit me from behind. The last thing I heard before I blacked out was: "Hello Fang. Long time no see."

It was Ari.

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When I woke up, I was in a large room. I stood up, trying to remember what had happened before.

"Ah, good. You're awake." Jeb walked into the room. _Great_. Just what I needed.

"Where am I?" I yelled at him.

"You are in the Observation Room, at the School."

"Observation Room?" I thought out loud.

"Yes, someone will be monitoring you 24/7." I just stared at him. Was this a new 'test' that the School had thought of? Jeb continued talking. "You are a very interesting experiment, Fang." What? Usually he said stuff like that to Max. Why had he chosen me?

Just then, Ari burst through the door. He grabbed me by the throat.

"Where's your flock?" He asked mockingly. I remembered the last time he said that. I guess Ari did too. He punched me in the stomach, making me wince. "Not so tough now, are you freak?" Ari punched me again, and the pain was unbearable. "You left your flock, and your family betrayed you. You're alone, Fang. Just like me, just like all of us."

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**A/N: Ok, that was a pretty cool ending for the chapter, right? I liked it, anyway. I sounded like I was a real author for a second! Ok, so peoples, please review. I love reviews. If you read this and don't review, I'll...not update! But I guess I wont know if people read it without reviewing... So, I don't know! Review so I wont be so confused! It will make my life a lot easier:P**


	5. The 5th Chapter of my story!

Chapter 5

A/N: Ok, people. Thanks so much for the reviews! This chapter isn't really about anything, I wrote it just because. So yeah... Here it is!

I hated to leave the Martinez's, I really did. But I didn't want to risk the flock being discovered.

I sighed. This would usually be the time when Fang would fly up next to me and say something to make me feel better.

"You really miss him, don't you?" Iggy asked me softly. I nodded, blinking back tears. No! I would _not_ cry again!

"We all do, Max." Angel came up beside me. "It's ok to cry, Angel added, seeing the tears in my eyes.

No. It _wasn't _ok to cry. Not when you're the leader of a flock of mutant bird kids. Not when you're running for your live.

"Not when you've lost your best friend?" Angel asked me. Ok, I lost it there. Tears practically poured out of my eyes. "It's ok," Angel said soothingly. "It's ok."

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Later we found a cave on the edge of a cliff. We ate, got ready for bed, then stacked fists. Iggy and the younger kids were out right away, as usual. But I was wide awake. How could I sleep with Fang gone? He was probably safe and everything, but still; he was gone. Then I forced myself to go to sleep.

I needed rest for Mission Find Fang; Day 1.

O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A/N: Ok, I know this chapter wasn't that good. I hope I can update soon this time. The next chapter's in Fang's POV. Ok, so please please please please review, people! I love reviews! I'll update faster when I get reviews! Ok, how about this. I wont update until I have 20 reviews, ok? So if you want another chapter, please review. And you can review because I love them. Who doesn't like reviews? Woah, this is really short. Sorry, the next one will be longer.


	6. 6

Chapter 6

A/N: Ok, um, never mind about the thing where I said that I would be posting when I get 20 reviews. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting that much. Ok, here's the sixth chapter!

(Fang's POV)

I thought about what Ari had said earlier._ You're alone._ How could I be so stupid? I left my flock for a bunch of people I barely knew, and they betrayed me. I should have known this would happen. I _knew_ I couldn't trust anyone. So why did I do it?

_Yeah, but they were your family._ I argued with myself. _Anyone would have done it._

_Not Max, she wouldn't give the flock up for anything. _

Oh my gosh. I was crazier than Max! I wasn't just talking to a _Voice_ inside my head, I was talking to _myself!_

"Aagh!" I punched the wall as hard as I could. I looked at my bruising knuckles, but I didn't care. Why should I? I had way more important things to think about. Like...

I couldn't think of anything. Sure, I was in the School, but why should I leave? If I wasn't at the School, where would I go? I had nowhere to go, no one to be with. I was alone.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Later that day, after various tests, I figured out that Jeb could talk to me over speakers in the room. It was so annoying. Now I knew how Max felt; it was just like having a voice in my head. He knew what I did, what I said...

"Fang, it's time for another test." Jeb's voice came through the speakers. I punched the wall again, I had been doing it all day. My knuckles were very bruised by now, as were my feet and knees. The wall had tons of dents and holes.

A white coat came in with a needle full of a clear liquid. She came towards me .

"No." I said. She swallowed, but kept coming. She pushed a red button in her coat pocket. Ari walked in through the door.

"What is it?" He said. "I was busy." But then he caught sight of me. His eyes narrowed and he gave me a wicked grin, cracking his knuckles. The white coat whispered something in his ear.

"What?" Ari looked disappointed. "You don't need my to kill him?" The white coat shook her head. Ari came up to me, and I got ready to fight. But when he walked behind me, I froze, confused. Then he grabbed my arms. Ugh. Why didn't I know that was going to happen? Why didn't I move?

I struggled, trying to break free, but I couldn't; Ari was too strong. The white coat nodded and came towards me. She injected (A/N: I hate that word) the liquid into _my neck_, which was really painful.

"Good luck, Fangie." Ari said before he let go of me. _Good luck?_

A/N: So theres the sixth chapter! Please tell me what you think! Oh, and thanks SamanthaFantasyFan for the title! I love it!

Sorry that I didn't update sooner! My computer just like, totally stopped working. But now its fixed:P

And please review peoples!


	7. Chapter 7!

A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update! Ok, so here's the 7th chapter, I think.

Disclaimer: I don't own James Patterson's stuff from Maximum Ride, but it'd be pretty cool if I did.

Chapter 7

* * *

"Ok guys," I said after everyone was up. "We're gonna look for Fang."

"Yes!" The Gasman punched the air.

"Um, Max?" Nudge's voice came from the back of the cave.

"Yeah sweetie?" I said, walking over to her. She was on her knees, touching the ground with her hands.

"Fang was here, I can sense it."

"Any idea of where he might have gone?"

"Ari was here too." She looked up at me, fear in her eyes. _Oh no._

"You don't think..." My voice trailed off. She shook her head.

"It couldn't be, could it?"

"What?" Iggy was walking over to us, holding some granola bars.

"Fang was here..." Nudge said.

"...So was Ari." I finished

"Um, you think he took him to the School?" Iggy asked nervously. I swallowed.

"Yes."

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(Author's POV)

"What is he doing?" Jeb asked himself as he watched Fang make yet another dent in the wall with his fist.

"Aah!" Fang yelled, clutching his head. What was wrong with him? They hadn't done anything today that would have given him a headache-well, a really bad headache, anyway.

Ari laughed, coming into the room. He watched Fang throw himself on the floor, crying out in pain.

Jeb looked at Ari, and a mischievous grin spread across Ari's face.

"What did you do?" Jeb grabbed Ari's wrist.

"Oh, nothing." Ari watched Fang on the screen. He walked over to the microphone on Jeb's desk.

"Having fun, Fangie?" In reply, Fang yelled, grabbing his head even harder.

"Now you know how Maximum feels." Fang's eyes widened a little. Jeb's face turned as red as a stop sign.

"Ari! You don't have permission to access those chemicals! How did you get that? And you cannot do things like that without me knowing!" Jeb was absolutely furious, waving his hands in the air.

"I can have a little fun, can't I?" Ari smiled smugly at Jeb, then left.

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A/N: Ok, I know its short. Most of my chapters are short, unfortunately. It's one o clock, and I don't really know why I decided to update my story at one in the morning... Oh well. Please review, guys. I will update sooner if I get reviews. Could you at least tell me if you're reading this? Please review! I love reviews! And the ruler works now! Yay! 


	8. The eighth chapter

Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry, I haven't updated this in FOREVER. Oh well. I'm updating now. So here it is.

* * *

_ Now you know how Maximum feels._ Was this how Max's brain explosions felt? Man, now I know why she cried sometimes. And believe me, it takes a lot to make Max cry. I would've cried too, if I didn't have white coats monitoring me. Stupid white coats. All I could do was sit there, waiting for the pain to go away._ Why is this happening?_ I thought, still holding my head. 

"Why?" I said aloud.

"I'm sorry Fang, this wasn't supposed to happen." Jeb's voice came over the speakers.

"Then why is it happening?" I said through clenched teeth.

"Ari switched the chemicals that were supposed to go to you with the ones that we gave Maximum when she was here..."

"What?!" I said, furious. _They_ were the reason for Max's brain explosions?

_Yes, and now they are the reason for yours._ Oh, no. _Hell _no. There is _not_ a voice in my head. I am _not_ crazy like Max. Then the pain stopped, and I lied down on the floor.

_Yes Fang, relax._

* * *

Max's POV

_Yes Fang, relax. _My Voice said while I was flying. _Uh, Voice? Hello? My name's Max._

_I know you're name, Maximum._

_You just called me Fang..._ No response from the Voice. Oh well. Maybe it's going crazy, who knows?

* * *

Fang's POV

_I know your name, Maximum._ The Voice said

_Fang. My name's Fang._ Why was the Voice calling me Maximum? Weird.

Author's POV

All the computer screens flashed red._ Warning. Warning._ Jeb knew that this would happen. Ari had ruined everything. He shouldn't have given Fang those chemicals. It was dangerous, and something bad would happen. Jeb had thought about trying that before, but it was risky, and he didn't want to take chanced. Of course, there was an antidote. But still...

Then the computer screens went back to normal, and the alarms were quiet. _Oh no,_ Jeb thought._ It happened._

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**A/N: I'm sorry it's so short! And I'm SO sorry it took me so long to update! Please review! I love reviews! **


	9. Wow, I updated! Chapter 9

**A/N: Oh, wow. I can't believe I'm updating this. It's not dead yet! I wrote just wrote, so it's not that great.**

* * *

Max's POV

We were still flying, and I was still trying to figure out my psycho Voice. Then I heard a voice in my head, but this time, it wasn't the Voice.

_Fang. My name's Fang._ What? Ok, this was weird. Even for me. I noticed that the flock was staring at me, and I realized that my mouth was hanging open. I quickly put on a blank expression.

_**I know who you are, Fang.**_ _That_ was my Voice. But what the heck was it talking about?

_I'm Max! _I screamed inside my head.

Fang's POV

_I'm Max! _I heard Max _in my head._

_The Voice is Max?_

_**No. **_The Voice said.

"What's happening?" I yelled, punching the wall again.

_Fang?? _The Max inside my head said.

_Max. _I thought, trying to sound as calm and collected as I did when I talked.

_Your thoughts can be however you like._

"Ugh!" I yelled in frustration. I was going crazy.

Max's POV

_Fang?_ I thought again.

_Max, _thought Fang.

_You ok?_

_Just fine._ I detected sarcasm in his thoughts. (AN: That was a weird sentence...) I noticed that the flock was staring at me.

"Hey guys, can we land for a minute?" I asked. We landed in a forest clearing, and I walked a few yards away from the flock. Then I asked Fang a question that I had been dying to know the answer to.

_Are Pity and Demon ok?_ Silence._ Fang?_

_Maximum, they are with the School. They have been from the beginning. _

But they were Fang's brother and sister. How could they do that to him?

_Fang, I'm so sorry._

_I'm fine, Max._ I could tell that he was trying to stay calm, but I could still hear the pain in his... thoughts.

_Fang, we're coming for you._

_I'll be waiting._

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**A/N: Ok, I'm sorry it was so short and that it wasn't that good. It was a filler chapter, sort of. Keep in mind that I wrote it really fast. Ok, review please! **


	10. Updating after a whole year, Chapter 10!

Chapter 10

**A/N: Well, here it is. I haven't updated in a while, almost a year. Um.. Sorry about that. I kinda lost interest in this story. But I felt like writing another chapter for this today, so.. here's your chapter! (Sorry it's so short!)**

* * *

The next day another whitecoat walked through the door carrying another needle. This needle was different than the one before, though. It was filled with a translucent reddish liquid and was marked with the word "antidote." The whitecoat started to come toward me with the needle, so I took a step forward, ready to fight. The whitecoats sighed and mumbled something inaudible, but I caught the words "behave" and "easier." The she took out the red button that the other whitecoat had used the other day and pushed it. Two seconds later an eraser, fully morphed, walked in, grinning menacingly. _Great._

_What?_

_Nothing_, I though, annoyed. Max had been doing that lately-interrupting my thoughts. It had gotten pretty annoying. When I looked up, I saw that the eraser was walking towards me slowly as he grinned again, probably trying to be intimidating. I acted quickly, knowing that the whitecoat would call for backup. I kicked the eraser in the knee and heard a satisfying pop. He groaned and fell to the floor, clutching his knee in pain.

I started toward the door, but then I was suddenly aware of the needle that the whitecoat held. It was now inches away from my skin. I moved to knock the needle from the whitecoat's hand, but she had surprisingly quick reflexes. In a matter of seconds, she had transferred the needle to her other hand and stabbed me in the arm with it. I tore my arm away from her and took off through the door. I felt the needle move around in my arm, and I realized with annoyance that it hadn't fallen out. I pulled the needle out and saw that it was half empty. So that whitecoat had gotten me. Dang.

I kept running, looking for exits, remembering the escape routes I had planned years ago. I was startled, and slightly suspicious, when I easily found an exit. I didn't have time to look around though; I could hear footsteps behind me. I ran through the door, eagerly breathing in the fresh air. That was when I started feeling dizzy. What had that whitecoat injected me with? I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and ignored the dizziness, taking off into the sky. The main thought on my mind now was to find the flock. I flew aimlessly, scanning the sky, as the dizziness grew worse. Black spots started to take over my vision. Seriously, what was in that stupid needle? I vaguely heard voices that were close by, but I ignored them. I had to find the flock.

I was surprised when I flew into something- something that I couldn't see because of the annoying little, well, big now, spots- and it made a sound. Then I was falling, because my wings stopped functioning, and I didn't feel like using the energy to move them anymore. I was overwhelmed with a sudden exhaustion, so I closed my eyes, aware that I was falling, but not really caring. As long as I could sleep. I heard the voices again, this time above me. Wait, that wasn't right. People should not be in the sky. Unless...

I felt something swoop down and grab me, but I kept falling. Then another pair of arms held me and I started to rise again. I drowsily opened my eyes to see Iggy, looking determined, flying while holding me. I had to do a double take- how did Iggy get here? Then I realized, mentally hitting myself in the forehead, that it was the flock's voices that I heard in the sky. That should have been obvious. I wasn't feeling as tired or dizzy anymore, so I decided to let Iggy stop carrying me.

"Let me go, Ig." I mumbled, trying to get free. Iggy 'looked' down, surprised.

"You're awake," he told me unnecessarily. I nodded, and he let me go. I let myself fall for a second, enjoying the sensation of free falling, then shot out my wings. I flew back up to the flock, who was now staring at me. I didn't feel like explaining anything right now, especially about Demon and Pity, so I looked forward and ignored their stares. Maybe I'd talk to Max about it.

_Max?_ I though. No response. I looked at her, but she was talking to Angel, seeming unaware of my telepathic call. Angel gave me a funny look when I thought that, but I ignored her.

_Voice?_ Nothing. Hmm, maybe that antidote thing actually worked and made me normal again.

Well, maybe it had taken Max and the Voice out of my head, but I definitely wasn't normal. And I never would be.

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**A/N: I guess I have to add this now.. This story's set after SOF, but before the 3****rd**** and 4****th**** books, which disappointed me**, **but I won't get into that now. I'd probably fill up the whole page with stuff. Anyway, sorry if that chapter's not too good. I just wrote this really quick. And I still have no idea where this story's going.. I'll figure it out eventually. Ok, so I'll go upload this now..**


	11. Chapter 11

Well, I'm updating again. It's been so long! I still need to figure out where this story's going, but I've been pretty busy with everything. I'll get it eventually. Until then enjoy this chapter!

* * *

We had finally found Fang. Well, technically he found us. We had been flying towards the School, trying to figure out how to save Fang. One second I was planning escape routes with Iggy, and the next Fang had appeared, flying straight into him. Then Fang was falling, quickly. I was frozen in shock for a moment; where had Fang come from? I vaguely heard voices shouting at Fang as he continued his descent. When I recovered a few seconds later I started to lower myself to grab Fang, only to find that Iggy was already on the job.

Now Fang was flying next to Iggy, seemingly deep in thought. Maybe he was thinking about his brother and sister. I couldn't believe that they were working for the School. I couldn't even begin to guess how awful Fang felt. He had finally met his family, and they had ended up betraying him. I looked over at Fang to see that his expression had changed. He had fallen a few feet behind the flock now, and he had a serene look on his face. Were his eyelids drooping? His wings were beating slower now, and he was falling even farther back. I decided to check on him. I dropped back a few feet, slowing my wings to be in synch with his.

"You okay?" I asked him, staring into his half open eyes. He jumped a little, seemingly startled that I was there.

"Wha'? Oh. Mmhmm…" He yawned. What was wrong with him? I voiced my question aloud.

"I dunno… The whitecoats injected me with something. Just feeling a little out of it." He replied, shaking his head a little. Was it safe for him to fly like this? I pondered that question for a few minutes, but I made up my mind when I noticed Fang swerving a little to the right.

"Ok guys, let's land for the night." We all flew downward, into a barren desert-looking area. I looked around, realizing that this probably wasn't the best place to land. No firewood, no water, no tall evergreens to conceal us… We really weren't all that far away from the School, either. I was about to suggest that we fly for a while longer, but then I glanced at my flock.

Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel all looked like they were fighting to stay awake, and Gazzy's eyelids kept fluttering. Iggy's eyes were bloodshot; he'd been really stressed since Fang had left. And Fang… Well, he looked out of it, like he'd said. So I decided that we could stay here, even though it probably wasn't the best place to stay.

Iggy had pulled out his backpack and was now rummaging through it, looking for something edible. He pulled out a few granola bars and a couple bruised apples, which he passed around to the flock.

"Yo, catch." He called as he tossed one of the apples at me. I examined it for a moment, making sure that a worm hadn't snuck into it or something, and then took a bite. It wasn't too bad; it was kinda mushy and a little too sweet, but it was pretty descent for the time it had been in that backpack.

The kids were really happy to be eating something, not having eaten since the day before. We had been so focused on getting Fang back that we had forgotten to eat. Once everyone finished eating Fang was instantly bombarded with questions.

"How long were you at the School, Fang?"

"What kind of tests did they do?"

"Was it scary?"

"What color was your dog crate?" We all looked at Nudge, who was staring at Fang anxiously. She noticed that it had gone silent and looked around at us.

"What color was his dog crate? What kind of question is that?" Iggy gave Nudge a funny look. Nudge looked at Iggy, then back at Fang, who was also staring at her questioningly. Nudge frowned and sat up a little straighter.

"It's a perfectly normal question!" She stated indignantly. "Was it brown, or black, or silver, or purple? That would be really cool to have a purple dog crate. Well, it wouldn't be that cool because you'd be at the School, and plus you'd be in a dog crate, which is even _more_ of a bummer, but being in a purple crate would be so much cooler than a regular colored one! Or maybe orange, or pink-"

"It was brown, Nudge." Fang cut her off, running a hand through his hair. Nudge sighed, disappointed in the School's color choice. She looked dejected for a moment, but then her eyes lit up again, and I could tell she was about to burst out with a million more questions for Fang.

"Nudge, let's let Fang rest; he's had a tough day. He'll answer all of your questions tomorrow, okay?" I intervened, knowing that Fang probably wasn't in the mood for Nudge's constant jabbering. He shot me a grateful look.

"Ok, but you better answer every single one of them tomorrow, got it Fang?" Nudge gave Fang a stern glance until he nodded, smirking a little. We stacked fists then, and the younger kids found a spot to lay down that wasn't too rocky. Fang, Iggy and I sat together in silence. Fang was staring at the ground intently, and I wondered what he was thinking about. I considered waking up Angel, but then decided to just ask him.

"What are you thinking about?" Fang's head snapped up as I broke the silence. He clenched his jaw and took a breath before answering me. His eyes looked pained, and for a second I regretted my question, almost telling him to forget it. But then I realized that I really did want to know, so I waited patiently, watching Fang's face go through different expressions. Sadness, regret, longing, betrayal, anger, and then it just went blank. All of this happened in just a few seconds until Fang went back to wearing his usual emotionless mask, and when he spoke his answer it was in monotone.

"My family."

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Thanks so much for reading this chapter! Please review! :)


	12. Chapter 12!

**So here's the 12th chapter, I hope you like it! And I apologize for the point-of-view changes.**

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Max's POV

I stared at Fang, waiting for him to elaborate, but knowing that he wouldn't. This was Fang. He didn't ever say more than he needed to. I almost let him get away with saying just that, but my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know why his eyes had gone through so many emotions. Why those emotions? Why so many of them? Fang never showed emotion, so this sparked my interest.

"What about them?" I asked, studying Fang's expression. He looked at me blankly, but there was a strain in the way he held himself, the way he was clenching his jaw. I knew this subject pained him, but he needed to talk about it sometime.

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Fang's POV

I thought back, a few days before, when I had awaken from the first night after finding Demon and Pity. I had never felt such betrayal, even when I found out about Jeb. He was like my father, but these people were my _family_. Blood relatives, my brother and sister. And I had forgotten everything that I'd ever learned, don't trust anybody, always stay on guard; and I'd gone with them, simply because they were my family. How idiotic was that? How could I be so stupid, so ignorant? I hadn't even questioned why they wanted to leave. All that I knew was that I belonged with them, so I had to follow.

"Fang?" Max wondered, waiting for my reply. I didn't know how to answer. What was I thinking about them, she wanted to know? How they betrayed me, how they had taken what little hope that I had that I might have a loving family and smashed it into pieces. That was what I was thinking. But I couldn't tell Max that. I was Fang, not someone who needed comforting, like Gazzy or Angel. _I_ was the one who comforted _her. _Not the other way around. And Max definitely didn't need any more stress than she already had. I didn't want to add to her load.

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Max's POV

"Nothing," Fang mumbled softly, turning away from me. But Fang had piqued my interest. I wanted to know what he was thinking. I silently wished for Angel's power. The mind reading one, not the one that allows her to talk to fish. I glanced over at her, sleeping soundly, curled up into a ball leaning against her brother. I felt a tug at my heart, wishing that I could give these kids a normal, happy life. But that couldn't happen for us bird kids. No, we had crazy scientists and erasers after us. I turned my attention back to Fang.

"No, really." I persisted, but Fang wouldn't meet my eyes.

"It's no big deal, never mind." I watched carefully as he examined my face. "You're tired, go to bed." My brow furrowed, and as I was about to protest, a yawn came over me. I tried to stifle it, but Fang noticed and smirked in that annoying way that he had.

"You do sound tired, Max. Go to sleep; I'll talk first watch." I had almost forgotten about Iggy, but when he spoke I felt indignation rise in my chest. How could they think that they knew what was best for me? I was about to say something, but Fang read my expression and chuckled. Did I mention how annoying Fang could be?

"Max, sleep." I made a sound of frustration, but then, realizing how tired I actually was, walked back into the cave and lay down next to Nudge. She looked so peaceful when she slept; almost the exact opposite of how she was when she was awake. I laughed lightly, before I drifted into a deep, much-needed sleep.

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Fang POV

I watched Max until I was sure that she was asleep, her breaths becoming slow and even. I breathed a sigh of relief. Max looked like she needed to rest. I didn't know what had happened while I was gone, but I was guessing that it didn't involve Max getting very much sleep. I rustling of twigs to my right let me know that Iggy was still there. I turned toward him, waiting.

"So, I guess we're both in the same boat, huh?" He said a bitter smile on his face. I didn't understand what he was saying. We're both in the same boat? He understood my silence, and continued. "Neither of our families turned out to be so great. I totally understand the whole betrayal feeling. It sucks, and it sucks that you have to go through that. I hope no one else in the flock has to." Iggy's head was turned toward the ground as he said this. I was no longer confused about his words, but instead they made me feel grief. Iggy knew what this felt like. Iggy had been in pain like this. I suddenly felt protective of my best friend, my brother, only two months younger than me.

"I'm sorry." I stated, looking straight into his cloudy, unseeing eyes. It was quiet for a moment. It was a good quiet, one that made me feel closer to Iggy. Even though I hated what had happened, it made me feel more connected to Iggy, like he understood me. However, the silence was definitely not comfortable. The harsh expression on Iggy's face almost made me question his sanity. After a few more seconds, Iggy took a deep breath and his face smoothed out. He seemed calmer now.

"It's not your fault. It's not my fault. I don't know whose fault it is, but that doesn't really matter right now. It might later, when I'm in the mood for revenge and have just finished my latest bomb," Iggy grinned maliciously, and I found myself suppressing a shudder. Who knew that fun, playful Iggy had such a side to him? I realized that Iggy was partly joking, but _only_ partly. "But it doesn't matter now. What matters is that we're all together, the flock. We're each other's family. Who needs anyone else?"

Iggy seemed determined with this statement, speaking clearly and with no room for doubt. I knew that it was true, that the flock was my family, that they would be there for anything. But I couldn't help the little voice inside of me that said,

_I do. _

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**Wow, I just wrote that really quick. That was fun; I forgot how much I enjoyed writing. I'm _really _sorry that I haven't updated in forever, but I've been kinda busy with everything. but it's summer now, so hopefull that will give me more time to write this, and figure out where the story's even going. I'll do that later, figure everything out. This chapter's still pretty short... But it _is_ longer compared to other chapters. I think I'm getting the hang of the write-longer-chapters think. Before you know it, they'll be the length of everyone elses! So I've been reading some of the fanfictions around here, and I'm not feeling so great about this one. There are pieces on this site that are _so much _better than this. But I'm going to try to make this better. Now, this note is getting really long. Ok, please review and tell me what you think! I really like to hear your thoughts!**


	13. The Thirteenth Chapter

**Another short-ish chapter… Here you go.**

Fang's POV

After my talk with Iggy, I was really tired. Kind of emotionally drained, I guess. So I allowed Iggy to take first watch and got a good four hours of sleep in until it was my turn.

Iggy gave me a small nod, and then I watched him sprawl out on the ground, taking a few moments to get comfortable. After a minute or two I could hear his rhythmic breathing, and knew that he had fallen asleep. I walked around for a little bit, scoping out the area. The only thing around us for miles was desert; there were no trees or anything to conceal anybody who might want to sneak up on us. I felt my paranoia settle in, though, as I realized that there could be other ways to get to our location besides just walking up to us. Someone could be digging underground right now, just waiting to find us in vulnerable position, so that they could take us back to the school. We really weren't all that far away from the school, now that I thought about it…

I had to laugh at myself. I really was paranoid, like Max always told me. I shook my head a little to clear my head, still smirking. What was I thinking? I could see miles out; nothing was going to happen to us. And Iggy would have heard if someone was underground, right? Being on watch really gave me too much time to think. Sometimes it was a good thing, like when I needed to sort things out about Max, but other times, like now, it just gave me more time to obsess over irrational things.

I remembered that a few months ago I was on watch for what seemed like years, but was only about three hours. I had been constantly thinking about how Iggy seemed to be a little too comfortable around Max. I had thought madly about how he was spending so much time around her, and by the end of my watch I was completely jealous and angry. When I woke Iggy up for his watch, I probably kicked him a little harder than I needed to, to wake him up. That next morning I almost made the mistake of confronting Iggy, but then I thought for a second and realized that my assumptions had been completely mistaken. Iggy didn't like Max like that. He knew that I did, and he would never do anything that would really hurt me. All I needed was a couple seconds to think rationally, and my sanity on the subject returned. So I had learned not to take anything that I thought while I was on watch seriously.

It was almost time to wake up Max for her watch. Lately I had been taking Max's watch for her, since she was so stressed out about everything. But she seemed to be doing better, and I didn't think that I could stand being on watch very much longer. So after doing one more sweep of the perimeter, I knelt down next to Max where she was sleeping. Looking at her there, so peaceful, almost made me decide against waking her up. I stared at her for a minute, just taking in how beautiful she was when she slept. But I quickly dismissed the thoughts from my mind as I reached over and lightly shook her shoulder.

Max immediately bolted upright, looking from left to right. I had to dodge out of the way to avoid getting hit by her head. Her eyes were wide, looking for any signs of trouble. That was Max, always prepared, even after just waking up.

"Hey, calm down. It's your watch." I observed her face as she turned to look at me, her facial features smoothing out. She let out a breath and stood up.

"Thanks." She said, letting me know that she had everything under control now. I nodded toward her and took her spot on the ground, dozing off again just as I had earlier in the night.

A few hours later I awoke to the smell of burnt pop tarts. There's nothing better. I silently moved from the place that I had been sleeping to the small circle that had been formed around a fire that Iggy, no doubt, had made. And there he was, with his frying pan, cooking strawberry pop tarts. I could practically see the drool coming from Gazzy's mouth.

"Smells great Ig," I told him as I joined the rest of the flock. Everyone looked fully awake except for Nudge, who always takes at least a half hour to function properly after waking up. It was the one time that the Nudge Channel wasn't going full force. I kind of liked this drowsy, half-conscious Nudge, but I knew that it wouldn't last very long. Once she got some food into her, she would be talking nonstop, asking me millions of pointless questions, like what color of the floor at the school had been. _White, just like everything else there._

Suddenly I was tossed a steaming pop tart, and I had to bounce it in my hands to keep from burning myself. Even so, I attempted to eat it. I ended up burning my tongue, but it was definitely worth it. How long had it been since I'd had a pop tart?

"Thanks for the warning, Ig." Iggy nodded at me, smirking a little in that mischievous way that he had. He tossed me another one, this one not as hot, thankfully. The rest of the flock was inhaling their pop tarts quickly, and I sadly watched the box of pop tarts empty. I stood up and brushed the crumbs off of my pants, watching the rest of the flock do the same.

"So, Max, where to now?" Iggy turned toward Max, wondering out loud what I had been wondering silently. We all turned toward our leader expectantly. Max seemed to be thinking, but she was probably listening to her Voice. I shuddered, extremely glad to have the Voice out of my head. A defiant look suddenly took over Max's facial features, and I suppressed a small chuckle. She was arguing with the Voice. Then she seemed to have reached a conclusion.

"Arizona, back to my mom's house. We have to explain why we left." Max looked at all of us. Then Gazzy snickered, but quickly replaced it with a solemn look after receiving a glare from Max.

"Well, I hope their house didn't burn down." He said seriously, and then exploded into giggles again.

_What?_

**Ok, so here I am updating again. I'm looking at my story traffic thing, and I have a lot of hits and visitors and everything… But I only had one review for my last chapter. Thanks so much, And the Eternally Silent, for that. The only reason that I'm updating right now is because you reviewed my last chapter. I'm sure that I lost a lot of readers because I haven't really been updating regularly, but I'm trying to get better about that. So, if you're reading this, please review! **


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